Line-drafting guide

ABSTRACT

A thin strip of material is provided with a substantially smooth upper surface to accommodate the movement of a marking instrument, such as a ballpoint pen, thereacross to form the starting or ending of the drafting of a line. The guide edge of the strip is such as to allow smooth movement of the pen between said strip and said drawing surface and an ink-receptive covering is provided on the strip to remove excess ink whereby the end of each line is uniform. The strip is flexible plastic having a plurality of apertures formed therein and the covering is formed of masking tape with the sticky side extending through the apertures to temporarily fix the strip to the drawing surface. The depressions in the tape formed at the apertures allow more efficient cleaning of the sides of the pen when rotated.

United States Patent [72] Inventor Murray K. Rogers, deceased late of Somerset, Ky. by May B. Rogers, executrix [21] Appl. No. 873,963 [22] Filed Nov. 4, 1969 [45] Patented Jan. 4, 1972 [73] Assignee Multi-Line Pen Company Incorporated Ferguson, Ky.

[54] LINE-DRAFIING GUIDE 10 Claims, 4 Drawing Figs.

[52] U.S.Cl 33/1 R, a 33/18 R, 33/109,118/505 [51] Int. Cl B431 5/00 [50] Field of Search 33/1 R, 76 R, 18 R, I 11, 109; 118/505, 504

[56] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,210,233 8/1940 De Lillo 118/505 2,963,337 12/1960 Spalek 2,726,634 12/1955 Hornet...

Primary Examiner-William D. Martin, Jr. Attorney-Lowe and King ABSTRACT: A thin strip of material is provided with a substantially smooth upper surface to accommodate the movement of a marking instrument, such as a ballpoint pen, thereacross to form the starting or ending of the drafting of a line. The guide edge of the strip is such as to allow smooth movement of the pen between said strip and said drawing surface and an ink-receptive covering is provided on the strip to remove excess ink whereby the end of each line is uniform. The strip is flexible plastic having a plurality of apertures formed therein and the covering is formed of masking tape with the sticky side extending through the apertures to temporarily fix the strip to the drawing surface. The depressions in the tape formed at the apertures allow more efficient cleaning of the sides of the pen when rotated.

PATENTEBJAN 41972 Fll FIIIL MFA F0656, ixecu JTTOF/VE/S BACKGROUND The present invention relates to drafting systems, and more particularly, to a device and method for drafting accurately gauged lines.

In recent years, ballpoint pens have been used by the public on an ever increasing scale. The ballpoint pen is preferred since the ink supply is always in readiness for use, the ink is not exposed to ambient conditions to cause drying up and the cost is so economical that the spent cartridge including the writing point is disposable. However, one shortcoming of the ballpoint pen has heretofore limited its application to drafting. Excess ink tends to gradually build up on the writing tip as an uninterrupted drafting stroke is made. For example, if the ballpoint pen is used to draw a line wherein the ball is not lifted from the paper for a distance equal to the width of a standard size sheet, it is inevitable that excess ink is collected on the side of the tip in juxtaposition to the trailing edge of the rotating ball. This excess of glob of ink is then inevitably transferred to the paper when the next line is commenced thereby ruining the appearance of the subject matter being drafted.

Especially in the field of making business forms and the like, there is a definite need for the above problem to be overcome so that the other efficiencies of ballpoint pen drafting may be added to this field. With this objective in mind, it can be seen' that what is needed is a successful arrangement for preventing the transfer of the excess ink to the start of each line. This would allow the forms to be drawn with precision by the originator with ballpoint pens and then directly photolithographed for printing in quantity.

Accordingly, it is one object of the present invention to provide a system whereby marking instruments, such as ballpoint pens, can be used in precision drafting of lines.

It is another object of the present invention to provide a device and method for ensuring that excess of globs of ink will not be transferred to a drafting surface.

It is still another object of the present invention to provide a drafting system for use in making forms which allows the formation of lines to be accurately performed without conscious effort by the draftsman thereby eliminating human mistakes in the field of form making.

SUMMARY In one aspect of the present invention, a device is provided for positioning on the drawing surface to remove any excess marking material from the marking instrument either before or after the fonnation of a line. The device comprises a thin strip of material having a substantially smooth upper surface and a guide edge for alignment of the ends of the lines. A covering, preferably of masking tape, receives the ink on the top; the sticky underneath side extending through apertures in the strip to temporarily fix the same to the drawing surface. The depression at the apertures forms a convenient well" for cleaning the sides of the tip of the instrument as it is rotated prior to the drafting stroke. The tape may be attached to the strip spaced from the guide edge to eliminate tedious alignment with the guide edge; the tip of the instrument gliding over the smooth surface of the strip to or from the drawing surface in accurate relationship to said guide edge.

THE DRAWING Still other objects and advantages of the present invention will become readily apparent to those skilled in this art from the following detailed description, wherein I have shown and described only the preferred embodiments of the invention, simply by way of illustration of the best modes contemplated by me of carrying out my invention. As will be realized, the invention is capable of other and different embodiments, and its several details are capable of modification in various obvious respects, all without departing from the invention. Accordingly, the drawings and description are to be regarded as illustrative in nature, and not as restrictive.

In the drawing:

FIG. I is a top view of a device formed in accordance with the principles of the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view taken along line 2-2 of FIG. I showing the movement of the marking instrument from the device of FIG. I to the drawing surface;

FIG. 3 is an overall perspective view showing one mode of use of the device of the present invention; and

FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view showing an alternate embodiment of the device of FIG. I and showing an alternate mode of operation.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION Specifically referring to FIG. I, there is shown a drafting tool, generally represented by the reference numeral 10 and which, in accordance with the present invention, comprises a thin, flexible plastic strip 11 with a partial covering 12 of masking tape mounted thereon. As best shown in FIG. 2, a marking instrument M is adapted to move across the upper surface of the covering 12 and onto a drafting surface S to form a line extending away from the tool 10. The marking instrument M may take the form of a ballpoint pen, as illustrated here and disclosed in detail in my previous US. Pat. No. 3,245,146, issued Apr. 12, 1966. However, as will appear to those skilled in the art, in the broadest aspects of the present invention, the marking instrument M can be of other relatively sharp pointed types, such as a drafting pen, conventional fountain pen, pencil, or drafting scriber.

In the preferred embodiment, the covering 12 comprises a length of conventional masking tape which has an upper surface that is receptive to the marking material from the marking instrument M. Thus, in accordance with the present invention, the marking material, such as ink, on the point of the instrument M, such as a ballpoint pen, may be cleaned of any excess of said material before being moved to drafting surface S, as shown in the phantom lines in FIG. 2.

The plastic strip 11 has a plurality of elongated, rectangular apertures 15 positioned along one edge of the tool 10. These apertures 15 afl'ord limited communication areas for the covering or tape 12 and the drafting surface S. That is, when activated by depression of the tape 12 into the apertures 15, the sticky side of said tape extends through (see FIG. 2), engages said drafting surface S, and thereby temporarily but securely fixes the position of the tool 10.

The drafting tool 10 may be illustrated in use on a drafting board 20 having an I-square 21 extending thereacross and guided and locked in position by edge tracks 22. This suitable structure is more fully described and claimed in my copending application entitled Lsquare and Guide Means for Drafting" and filed concurrently herewith. As illustrated in this copending application, a rider rule or straightedge 21a is mounted for relative movement with respect to the I-square 21 to provide an adjustable guide for making lines L on the drafting surface S. A suitable scale 23 can be positioned on the rule 210 in order to properly position the same with respect to the stationary I-square 21. As major repositioning of the drafting assembly is required, the I-square 21 and rule 21a are lifted and repositioned to another notch along the edge tracks 22, all as explained in my copending application.

Assuming that the draftsman is to construct a business form on the drafting surface S, the drafting assembly is to be first positioned at the top thereof so as to make the first line L. Because the tool I0 is thin and the limited sticking areas have not been activated, said tool I0 may now be conveniently slipped underneath the drafting assembly; the tool 10 being positioned so that the top of the same is adjacent said first line L the tape extending continuously along the region or group of lines to be formed, and the inside edge being aligned to form a guide edge 24 along the right-hand limit of each line L, as denoted by the dashed outline 25 in FIG. 3. The draftsman next runs his finger over the top of the apertures [5 to depress the tape and activate the sticking areas by engagement with the drafting surface S. Since the apertures I5 are adjacent the guide edge 24 where the marking instrument M is operating,

maximum holding power of the tape through the apertures is gained.

The marking instrument M is placed first on the covering 12 of the tool 10 so that any excess ink or marking material fonns a dot D harmlessly on the upper surface thereof. After the excess ink is removed, the marking instrument is moved toward the right or substantially laterally and across the page to form the line L without ever being lifted. Thus, from the dot D to the guide edge 24, the tape 12 has sufficient receptive characteristics so that a lead-in line 26 is formed which further removes excess marking material. This line 26 also assures that the marking instrument is functioning properly without skips in the ink before being presented to the actual drafting surface S. The drafting tool 10 is sufficiently thin to allow the instrument M to move relatively smoothly between the lead-in line 26 and the line L. When the next line L, is to be formed, the rule 21a is moved downwardly with respect to the l-square 21, as shown in this figure. As required after each drafting operation, the process of moving the rule Zia, and relocating the l-square 21 as required, is repeated until all of the horizontal lines L, L L, have been formed on the drafting surface S and the form thereby completed in the horizontal direction.

it is to be understood that when the vertical lines, such as the line 27 (shown in phantom in FIG. 3), are to be formed, the drafting assembly and drafting tool 10 are repositioned 90 on drafting surface S and the process is carried out repeatedly until the desired number of vertical lines are formed. At this point, after inwrting the usual legends and instructions on the business form it is ready to be photolithographed immediately in the usual manner. Regardless of how many horizontal lines L-L and vertical lines 27 are formed, as each line is begun at the right-hand side of the drafting surface S only on the tool 10 as shown, the instrument M will be clear of excess ink and operating properly so that the lines are uniform throughout their length. With the covering 12 being of a receptive character, no globs or blotches of ink or other marking material are transferred to said surface S. When the form is finished, the tool 10 is removed by breaking the limited sticking areas at the apertures 15, leaving a clean finished form of perfect character. The strip 11 has sufficient strength to prevent tearing by the sharp pointed marking instrument M and has sufficient rigidity to protect the drafting surface S from impressions or indentations from the instrument M corresponding to the dot D and lead-in line 26 thus keeping the drafting surface S completely free of any form of extraneous markings.

In accordance with the major objective set out above, the present inventive system for drafting is thus particularly adapted for use with a ballpoint pen, such as is described in my above-mentioned patent. As can be seen from that document, the pen is adapted by simple 90 rotation between successive marking strokes of making lines of any desired width. It will be realized that as these additional strokes are required, the possibility of inadvertently applying deleterious excess ink to the form is likely to occur. But with the tool 10 of the present invention, as each stroke is made with the pen the draftsman automatically starts the stroke at the dot D whereby there is no possibility of ruining the form being made. By the same token, the short lead-in line 26 in each case assures that the ink is flowing smoothly by the time the pen moves onto the drafting surfme S, thus also assuring a constant flow of ink and a homogeneous line; i.e., a line without skips caused by common starving ofink as a ballpoint pen first starts to operate.

An alternative embodiment of the tool 10 and the mode of operation of the system of the present invention is shown in FIG. 4, In this case, the covering or tape 12 is spaced inwardly from the guide edge 24 so that the marking instrument M traverses a small plateau 30 on the strip 11 prior to being brought into engagement with the drafting surface S. This arrangement affords the advantage that the masking tape can be more quickly applied to the strip 11 without having to register along the guide edge 24. This is so since the necessary function of wiping excess ink can still be performed on the tape 12, the marking instrument then sliding across the smooth plateau 30 and down cleanly onto the drafting surface S. In the case where a ballpoint pen is being used, it will be clear that with the upper surface of the strip 11 being smooth or slick there is negligible rotation of the ball and thus no excess ink for deposit at the start of line L, as is desired.

As also shown in FIG. 4, another feature of the present invention is that the apertures 15 are of such depth that the covering 12 forms a slight depression or well. As needed, the draftsman may position his marking instrument down within this depression, as shown, and by quickly rotating the instrument M the point including the sides may be thoroughly cleaned.

Although the marking device 10 and the associated method of drafting lines have been described above with respect to the tool 10 being positioned at the start ofthe lines L, it is contemplated that the tool 10 or an additional tool may be positioned on the opposite side of the drafting board to cleanly cut off the opposite end of the lines L and remove any excess ink formed during the marking stroke. This is done by marking a leadout line corresponding to the lead-in line 26, and a termination dot corresponding to the dot D, as will be apparent.

FINAL SUMMARY In view of the above objectives and description of the arrangement to gain the same and others, a tool 10 and method are now available to substantially speed and make more efficient the formation of lines, such as on a business form. Any excess ink is removed to prevent depositing globs on the form and thus destroying the form; said excess being removed on the receptive covering 12. Then, the lead-in line 26 establishes a preliminary constant flow of ink from the pen so that as the line L is drawn it is completely solid and of a high quality from the start. By following this procedure with each drafting stroke, it is impossible for an error to be made in the series of lines thereby greatly improving the efficiency of making business fonns.

In this disclosure, there are shown and described only the preferred embodiments of the invention, but, as aforementioned, it is to be understood that the invention is capable of various changes or modifications within the scope of the inventive concept as expressed herein.

lclaim:

1. A device for use in the drafting of lines with a relatively sharppointed marking instrument on a drafting surface comprising a thin strip for laying on said surface, said strip having sufiicient strength to prevent tearing by said instrument, a substantially smooth upper surface to accommodate movement of said instrument thereacross and a guide edge corresponding to the configuration for the limit of the extent of said lines, said guide edge being in relation to said drafting surface and said strip being sufficiently thin so as to allow smooth movement of said instrument between said strip and said drafting surface, said upper surface including a substantially continuous covering in the region adjacent the lines sufficiently receptive to the marking material for intercepting and wiping the point of said instrument to remove excess marking material from the sides of said instrument and to establish a constant flow of material whereby the end of each line is uniform.

2. The combination of claim 1 wherein said guide edge is a straight line so as to form lines having their ends in alignment.

3. The combination of claim 1 wherein said strip is fonned of plastic having sufficient rigidity to resist transfer of an im pression from said instrument to said drafting surface.

4. The combination of claim 3 wherein said covering comprises a length of masking tape.

5. The combination of claim 4 wherein spaced apertures are formed in said strip, a portion of the sticky side ofsaid tape extending through said apertures to temporarily fix said strip at spaced points to said drafting surface.

6. The combination of claim 5 wherein said strip has sufficient thickness to cause said tape to form a depression at said apertures whereby the sides of said instrument may be engaged and cleaned.

to prevent tearing and an upper surface receptive to the marking material in juxtaposition with said drafting surface, moving said instrument across said strip to remove excess material from the sides and across said drafting surface to form each line, and starting on said strip and substantially laterally moving said instrument smoothly across the juncture from said strip to said drafting surface without raising said instrument.

10. The method of claim 9 wherein the instrument is rotated while in engagement with said strip to increase the efficiency of removal of excess material. 

1. A device for use in the drafting of lines with a relatively sharp-pointed marking instrument on a drafting surface comprising a thin strip for laying on said surface, said strip having sufficient strength to prevent tearing by said instrument, a substantially smooth upper surface to accommodate movement of said instrument thereacross and a guide edge corresponding to the configuration for the limit of the extent of said lines, said guide edge being in relation to said drafting surface and said strip being sufficiently thin so as to allow smooth movement of said instrument between said strip and said drafting surface, said upper surface including a substantially continuous covering in the region adjacent the lines sufficiently receptive to the marking material for intercepting and wiping the point of said instrument to remove excess marking material from the sides of said instrument and to establish a constant flow of material whereby the end of each line is uniform.
 2. The combination of claim 1 wherein said guide edge is a straight line so as to form lines having their ends in alignment.
 3. The combination of claim 1 wherein said strip is formed of plastic having sufficient rigidity to resist transfer of an impression from said instrument to said drafting surface.
 4. The combination of claim 3 wherein said covering comprises a length of masking tape.
 5. The combination of claim 4 wherein spaced apertures are formed in said strip, a portion of the sticky side of said tape extending through said apertures to temporarily fix said strip at spaced points to said drafting surface.
 6. The combination of claim 5 wherein said strip has sufficient thickness to cause said tape to form a depression at said apertures whereby the sides of said instrument may be engaged and cleaned.
 7. The combination of claim 5 wherein said apertures are formed adjacent said guide edge to securely fix the same to the drafting surface upon movement of said instrument thereacross.
 8. The combination of claim 4 wherein said masking tape is spaced inwardly from said guide edge to expose a portion of said strip to said instrument prior to engaging said drafting surface during said movement.
 9. The method of drafting lines on a drafting surface with a relatively sharp-pointed marking instrument comprising the steps of placing a relatively thin strip having sufficient strength to prevent tearing and an upper surface receptive to the marking material in juxtaposition with said drafting surface, moving said instrument across said strip to remove excess material from the sides and across said drafting surface to form each line, and starting on said strip and substantially laterally moving said instrument smoothly across the juncture from said strip to said drafting surface without raising said instrument.
 10. The method of claim 9 wherein the instrument is rotated while in engagement with said strip to increase the efficiency of removal of excess material. 